Resolving Workplace Conflict 2026

Course Chairs
Sharon Sutherland, RRM — Executive Director, Mediate BC, Vancouver
Anita Kaur Bal — Articled Student, Mediate BC, Vancouver
Darsey Meredith — CoRe Conflict Resolution Society, Delta

About the Course Chairs
Sharon Sutherland is Executive Director of Mediate BC. She is a Registered Roster Mediator (RRM) and lawyer with expertise in conflict resolution training and program design.

Since obtaining her LLM in ADR from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1997, Sharon's roles in the collaborative decision-making field have included teaching and research in dispute resolution as a full-time faculty member at UBC Faculty of Law (2000-14), Program Manager of the Court Mediation program (1998-2003), Manager of Development for the Child Protection Mediation Practicum (2005-11), and a Knowledge Engineer in the development of the Civil Resolution Tribunal Solution Explorer (2014-16). 

Sharon was recognized for her contributions to the field of conflict resolution with an Honorary LLD from the Justice Institute of BC (2021) and received the Susanna Jani Prize for Excellence in Mediation (2011).

Sharon's interests include collaborative game design, performing arts, and competitive scavenger hunts. She is Chair of Sport Safeguarding BC Society.

Anita Bal is an articling student with Mediate BC Society, focusing on workplace harassment and bullying, with a particular interest in resolving such matters through collaborative dispute resolution processes. Her interest in alternative approaches to managing workplace conflict led her to complete Mediate BC's Introduction to Mediation Course and further training through JIBC, strengthening her conflict resolution skills. 

Anita received her Juris Doctor from Thompson Rivers University, where she was actively involved with Pro Bono Students Canada and the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC. Committed to advancing access to justice, she volunteered with the Law Students' Legal Advice Program, assisting individuals with employment and other legal issues. Since law school, she has continued volunteering with the BC Human Rights Clinic, where she assists in drafting human rights complaints.

Darsey Meredith is a mediator and coach with a background in filmmaking. She has a BFA in film production from SFU and uses her videography skills to support mediation trainings to reach broad, online audiences. She has been involved in recording and livestreaming mediation training since 2011, first with CoRe Conflict Resolution Society, and later with CLEBC. She has co-chaired CLEBC's Conflict Resolution Conference with Sharon Sutherland since 2021.

In 2017, Darsey, along with several other conflict resolution professionals, successfully developed and kickstarted the collaborative card game, Zombie: Fight or Flight. The game has been used in mediations, multi-generational family bonding, non-profit board trainings, and to support collaborative learning for incarcerated people.

Faculty
Michelle Casavant, KC — Casavant Law, Vancouver
Carmelle Dieleman — Forte Workplace Law, Surrey
Kyra L. Hudson — Kyra Hudson Law Corporation, Vancouver
Cherolyn Knapp — Knapp Resolutions, Victoria
Catalina Rodriguez — Forte Workplace Law, Surrey
Ashley Syer — Ashley Syer Law Corporation, Vancouver

Click here for full faculty bios

Course Introduction and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:10)

Mary Kingston — Program Production Manager, CLEBC, Vancouver
Sharon Sutherland, RRM — Executive Director, Mediate BC, Vancouver
Anita Kaur Bal — Articled Student, Mediate BC, Vancouver
Darsey Meredith — CoRe Conflict Resolution Society, Delta

Is Workplace Conflict Really Getting Worse? A Brief Overview of the Research (9:10 – 9:40)

Many professionals dealing with workplace conflict "know" that conflict is changing. We hear (and may say) that people are somehow both touchier and more conflict avoidant, complaints are escalating, and disputes seem much more volatile. This session will look at the research regarding changes in the workplace, help sort out what changes are driving our perception of change, and offer some practical applications for conflict resolution practice.

Sharon Sutherland, RRM — Executive Director, Mediate BC, Vancouver
Darsey Meredith — CoRe Conflict Resolution Society, Delta

Alternatives to Investigations: Conflict Resolution in the Workplace (9:40 – 10:20)

Workplace investigations have become the default response to conflict. Yet they often leave organizations with more entrenched interpersonal tension, unresolved systemic issues, and significant cost. This session examines practical alternatives that address the root causes of conflict rather than just the symptoms. Participants will learn about facilitated conversations, truth circles, mediation, and workplace assessments as effective and cost efficient tools for resolving workplace conflict and strengthening organizational culture.

Michelle Casavant, KC — Casavant Law, Vancouver
Carmelle Dieleman — Forte Workplace Law, Surrey
Catalina Rodriguez — Forte Workplace Law, Surrey

BREAK (10:20 – 10:30)

Moving Through Conflict: How to Get to the Right Resolution Process (10:30 – 11:10)

When a workplace conflict arises, determining the appropriate resolution process is rarely straightforward. From a proactive perspective, employers can build conflict resolution options into organizations' policies and procedures. The more difficult question is how those options can be translated into thoughtful process decisions when a conflict arises. In this session, we'll walk through a workplace sexual harassment and bullying scenario and consider what factors might lend toward an investigation and factors that might suggest that a dialogue-based process could be useful. We'll explore the conversations that need to happen with parties and clients to better understand their needs and interests while considering the workplace ecosystem.

Anita Kaur Bal — Articled Student, Mediate BC, Vancouver
Kyra L. Hudson — Kyra Hudson Law Corporation, Vancouver

Conflict Processes for Addressing Polarization (11:10 – 11:50)

When workplace conflict becomes entrenched it can mirror the polarization dynamics reshaping society and the usual interventions often fail at resolution. This session examines what is actually driving polarized conflict between individuals and teams, why instinctive responses tend to deepen it, and what evidence-based conflict processes can do to move participants from entrenchment to resolution. This session will be practical and grounded in front line investigation and conflict resolution practice experience.

Cherolyn Knapp — Knapp Resolutions, Victoria

BREAK (11:50 – 12:00)

Managing Partnership Conflicts (12:00 – 12:40)

Ashley Syer — Ashley Syer Law Corporation, Vancouver

Roundtable Q&A (12:40 – 1:00)

Moderators:
Sharon Sutherland, RRM — Executive Director, Mediate BC, Vancouver
Darsey Meredith — CoRe Conflict Resolution Society, Delta